MasukRafeWe were home.The main settlement spread before us—wooden buildings built into the hillside, smoke rising from cooking fires, children's laughter carrying on the wind before cutting off abruptly as they saw the Order soldiers.The sudden silence was deafening.Wolves everywhere stopped what they were doing. A mother pulled her child close, backing toward her door but not running. An elder watched from his doorway, hand near the knife at his belt. Warriors appeared from buildings like ghosts, forming loose protective positions around the vulnerable.My pack. My people. Afraid but holding steady as I just led their greatest enemy into the heart of their home.Aldric stopped beside me, taking it all in.His expression gave nothing away, but I saw him notice everything, the normalcy of daily life int
RafeThe fortress gates opened at dawn.Twenty Order soldiers on horseback, armed and armored. Garrett and Reyna flanking Aldric at the front. Marks bringing up the rear, hand never far from his sword.And us—me, Evelyn, Cassian, Talia, and our small group of wolves—riding alongside the people who'd hunted us for generations.The irony wasn't lost on anyone."This feels wrong," Cassian muttered beside me, low enough that only wolf hearing could catch it. "Every instinct is screaming danger.""Mine too," I admitted. "But we're doing it anyway."Through the bond, I felt Evelyn's anxiety from where she rode slightly ahead with Aldric.He'd requested she ride with him, asked questions about the pack, about how she'd adapted.That had to count for somet
EvelynThe guest quarters were sparse but clean—a far cry from the cold cells I'd expected.Stone walls. A narrow bed. A single window that looked out over the fortress courtyard. But it was warm, and more importantly, it was private.Rafe closed the door behind us with a soft click.For a moment, we just stood there, the weight of everything pressing down like a physical thing."I should check on the others," Rafe said quietly."Already done." I found Cassian and Talia and the warriors all settled in rooms down the hall. Guarded, but treated well. "They're fine. Nervous, but fine."He nodded, tension still coiled in his shoulders.I crossed to him, placed my hands on his chest. Through the bond, I felt everything he was trying to hold back—the fear, the doubt, the crushing respon
RafeThe council chamber felt like a trap.Three humans at the table—Garrett, Reyna, Marks—all watching me like I was a wild animal that might bolt. Four guards at the doors. Cole to the side, expression carefully neutral. And behind me, Cassian and Talia, both wound tight with tension I could feel through the pack bond.Evelyn stood beside me, her hand still in mine. Through our bond, I felt her hope, her absolute faith that this would work.I wished I shared her certainty."Sit," Garrett said. Not quite an order, but close.I remained standing. "I'll stand, thank you."His eyes narrowed slightly. "As you wish. Begin."Before I could speak, Evelyn stepped forward."There's something you need to understand first, about why my father became what he did."Garrett's attention shifted to her. "Go on.""I was always told my mother wandered too far into the woods one day. That she was killed by rogue wolves." Evelyn's grip on my hand tightened. "But that wasn't true. She went on raids with
EvelynThe fortress was colder inside than out.Stone walls trapped the chill. Narrow corridors wound like veins, lit by torches that did little to warm the air. Soldiers watched me with suspicion and curiosity as they led me deeper, boots echoing on stone.I tried to memorize the path—left, right, down worn stairs—but it blurred together, a maze designed to disorient.They brought me to a council chamber. Maps covered the walls. Weapons hung in displays.This was where the Order made its decisions. Where they'd decided to hunt wolves for generations.The commander gestured to a chair. "Sit."I sat, hands folded to hide their trembling.Cole was placed across from me. Our eyes met in shared understanding.The commander settled at the head of the table, flanked by two office
EvelynDawn broke cold and clear.I woke with my heart already racing, the knowledge of what today meant settling over me like a weight.Today, everything would change.Around me, the camp was already stirring. Warriors moving with quiet purpose. Horses being saddled with careful hands. Weapons checked one final time.Rafe sat near the cold fire pit, staring at nothing. Through the bond, I felt his tension.I crossed to him, settling beside him on the log."Ready?" I asked quietly."No." His honesty didn't surprise me. He never lied to me, even when a comforting fiction might have been easier. "But we're doing it anyway.""We are."He turned to look at me, eyes searching my face. "Last chance to change your mind. About leading."







